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Curt  ·  3998 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Discrimination and Equality: Debating Mandela's Legacy

It seems to me that this is an attempt to dress a disagreement between an idealist and a pragmatist in the clothing of left hypocrisy vrs. right hypocrisy.

Would Worms disagree with the following observation of Zizek?

"In South Africa, the miserable life of the poor majority broadly remains the same as under apartheid, and the rise of political and civil rights is counterbalanced by the growing insecurity, violence, and crime. The main change is that the old white ruling class is joined by the new black elite."

Yes, Zizek's article (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/06/mandelas-soc...) strikes me as too harsh -- but not without its grain of truth.

Perhaps the common ground between the idealistic and pragmatic view could be this: that Mandela's pragmatism was/is a NECESSARY step in the journey toward a Zizekian idealism -- with both sides prone to over-reaction, and both sides with a role to play going forward.